$2.7 million on the table as Heritage Preservation Grant opens for next round of applicants

As budget season stirs up City Hall, Austin’s Economic Development Department is preparing to share the wealth, with plans to allocate $2.7 million in grants for preservation efforts at historically designated sites.

The Heritage Preservation Grant Program, which began accepting applications Tuesday, will fund projects ranging from rehabilitation and repairs to education and marketing at select nonresidential landmarks throughout the city. Per state law, projects must demonstrate intent to promote tourism and support the city’s hotel and convention industries.

“Our focus is heritage travel with the purpose of connecting people and preservation through authentic experiences and places in Austin that are rooted in heritage and history,” said Heritage Tourism Division Manager Melissa Alvarado. “We encourage projects that engage both the community and tourists through storytelling … projects that use innovative and inclusive methods to attract new and diverse audiences are highly encouraged to apply.”

The program kicked into high gear last year, following two years of pandemic restrictions that levied a massive blow to tourism industries across the globe. Since then, Austin landmarks like the Broken Spoke, Huston-Tillotson University and the Neill-Cochran House Museum have collectively received over $2 million in supportive funding, with price tags for individual projects ranging from $30,000 to $250,000.

Now, the Heritage Tourism Division says it is prioritizing first-time applicants and locations recognized in the East Austin Historic Survey, eyeing equity and diversity as chief concerns in their selection process. While applicants are not required to have their historic designation already in place, they must meet criteria for landmark eligibility and must apply for designation within two years.

Alvarado and her team hope to emulate the success of past investments like Uptown Sports Club, the owners of which leveraged a $200,000 grant in 2020 to fully restore a historic building that had long sat dilapidated and abandoned on East Sixth Street. Three years later, the site is now a bustling destination serving Louisiana-inspired food and drinks to both tourists and locals.

The program is also seeking educational projects that engage in innovative storytelling, like the Rogers Washington Holy Cross Historic District Tour Development Project that received $150,000 in funding last grant cycle. With the help of research conducted by local nonprofit E4 Youth, the tour will feature location-based oral history and mixed-reality storytelling at 10-12 locations throughout the district.

“This proposal was a great example of a creative partnership that advanced a community idea, and how to share Austin’s history in a fresh and compelling way,” said Alvarado. “This collaboration will serve to preserve the rapidly vanishing histories of Black community leaders in Austin, while providing the youth of families that have been displaced with opportunities to reclaim these stories.”

Those interested in the grants can learn more about the application process at the program’s website. Both for-profit and nonprofit entities are welcome to apply, so long as they have operated within the Austin metro area for at least two years. Applicants will have until 5 p.m. on Sept. 22 to submit their proposals.

Photo by Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

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